Cookies and Fate
by zelda3469
Summary: Hyrule City has taken a violent turn for the worst when the power hungry monsters in the shadows set their plans into action. Link and Zelda find themselves trying to hid from the evil taking over the city, but is there any chance they have the power to stop it? And can fortune cookies really offer valid advice in times of crisis? Modern AU


**So another story. Someone please slap some sense into me. What, I still have like 13 other ongoing stories... Uh... Well... **

**Anyway, ideas for this baby are booming and I have most of the story already planned out in my head. Hopefully this gets updated on a regular basis, but I make no promises.**

**Also, there will be Cameos in every chapter! They are from other Zelda AUs, so be on the look out. Feel free to guess when you review. You are going to review if you're reading this, Right?**

***cricket* **

The sweltering heat wafting in from the kitchen along with the scent of freshly fried wontons was all that remained in the small, family-owned restaurant except for the employees left closing up shop. Chairs and tables screeched against the tiled floors as they were pushed up against the walls for the night. The blinds hanging above the long, clear windows looking out into the dreary streets were pulled closed as the orange electric sign in the door flickered out with an insect-like buzz.

Brooms and mops were busy on the floor, getting up the dirt and grime that had collected over the day. No matter how many times a soapy mop washed over those yellowing tiles, they never seemed to look any cleaner. Pots and pans clanged in the far corners of the kitchen as they were drowned in a sud-filled sink. Quickly, yellow gloved hands rhythmically scrubbed at the grease and sticky food clinging to the steel lined utensils.

While the four remaining workers in the restaurant were cleaning up, a large, crimson bird painted on the wall watched over the quaint restaurant as if it were a guardian from the goddess, eyes as bright and kind as the sun. Loftwings were what these large, mythical creatures had been called for generations. It was rumored that once, in the time of ancient Hyrule, these birds were given to man as not only as protectors, but companions for life as well. Contrasting with the good nature of the magnificent beast on the wall, a storm with ill intentions in the outside world was brewing. A white streak suddenly cracked against the dark clouds, and thunder boomed like a gunshot. Rain then began to fall from the sky, tapping arrhythmic beats against paved streets and the buildings outlining them.

"Hope Link's almost done with his last deliveries. Weather's getting pretty nasty," said one of the men mopping the floor. He glanced up towards the door before returning to his last task of the day. "Karane, you didn't force him to ride that bike of his halfway across town again, did ya?"

"No! Not today, Pipit!" a woman with ginger pigtails called back as she counted up all the money inside the register, double checking that it matched with the day's tickets. "The furthest order today was out by Zora River Road. Not too far, perhaps three miles at the most."

"Hopefully he gets back here soon before he catches a cold. I mean look at it out there! It's raining remlits and dogs!" Pipit shot back, running the back of his hand over his forehead.

"Yeah. It'd be a shame if the little shrimp were to get sick," commented the other man helping Pipit mop. His golden tinted eyes settled on the world outside for a moment, watching the rain spill down from the heavens like an endless waterfall. "I just hope he can see alright. Don't want him getting hurt."

"Or that rusty piece of crap he rides falling apart on him," snickered the tall, orange-haired woman washing dishes with almost superhuman speed.

"Midna, he told us that Ol' Reliable wouldn't ever give up on him!"

"You really believe that, Groose? That damn bike has got to be older than all four of us put together! If I were Link I'd save up enough rupees to get a decent looking bike, or better yet, a moped."

"Midna..." Pipit chuckled, leaning against the mop, "can you seriously picture Link riding a moped? I mean, please."

"Well... Not so much riding one, but crashing one... right into a brick wall."

"Na-Now that I can see!" Karane giggled, holding her sides. Pipit and Groose both tried their best to keep a straight face, but the laughter of their friends easily forced them into a laughing fit as his face nearly the same shade of red as his hair, Groose smacked his hand down onto one of the tables at his side.

"Yeah! He's such a silly guy. I don't think having him behind the wheel of anything that goes more than ten miles an hour would be a good idea."

Pipit almost doubled over at Groose's comment before attempting to calm himself along with everyone else in the shoebox restaurant. "Ah-Alright guys! Let's get back to work. If Link isn't back in the next twenty minutes or so, I'm gonna go out looking for him."

"And the second you even think about walking out to our car he's going to come running through that door, sopping wet." Karane glanced up from the gems in her hand and gave Pipit an amused, cheeky grin. "Oh! That reminds me... I think there are a couple of towels in the car. Groose!"

Just as his name was called, he saluted like a soldier would to his superior. "Yes ma'am?!"

"Alright, let up on the act. I need you to go get those towels. They should be in the trunk of my car." She dug through her back pocket with her free hand until her fingers brushed against a set of keys. "Here." She threw them across the room, and Groose ran to catch them, doing a somersault on the way.

"I shall complete my quest with virtue and honor! For Grooseland!" he cheered like a valiant warrior, waving the keys over his head as if they were a sword crafted for the battlefield.

"For the love of Din Groose, just cut the knight bullshit and go get the damn towels," Midna grumbled, rolling her eyes as she ran a sponge over another dirty plate.

"What, am I not allowed to have any fun?"

"No... Now get your ass in gear!"

Frowning like a two-year old being told to go to the corner, Groose made his way to the back door, and as he walked by Midna, he made sure to call her names under his breath.

"I heard that, you prick."

After Groose had returned inside with his armload of towels, the rain picked up. Everyone was practically silent as they finished cleaning up and prepping for the next day's service. Somehow, working alongside friends and not chatting away seemed awkward, but the work did get done much more quickly. At least that was an up - but all the best stories were always told while cleaning up, and most of the best memories were made after hours.

The silence wasn't broken until after Pipit had finished mopping and taken a look at his watch. It was almost time for him to leave and go looking for Link when the wind chimes on the front door rang as it opened.

"I'm back!" cried the delivery boy as he stumbled inside, soaked to the bone, his prized green ball cap clutched in his hand. "Sorry I took so long!"

"Link! You were about thirty seconds away from having me out there searching for you!" Pipit scolded, offering him a dry towel. Without hesitation, Link reached for the towel and took it from his employer's hand. He dabbed his face in the soft fabric a few times before rubbing it over his head of unruly, wet hair.

"So, where's Ol' Reliable?" Groose asked, not spotting the old hunk of junk outside the door, or where it usually was when Link was finished with deliveries, on the recently cleaned floors.

"You mean Epona? And I dropped her off back at my place. My route wasn't too far away from my apartment, and I didn't want to keep her out in the rain."

"Ah, so that's why it took you forever to get back here," Pipit chuckled, patting the boy's shoulder. "Karane and I will give ya a ride. No need to walk all the way back there in the rain, especially with your uncle's order."

"Oh! That reminds me!" Link threw the towel over his shoulder and grabbed onto his hat with both hands. "Here's the money from my deliveries." He smiled as he walked up to Karane and offered his Wolves cap to her.

"Thank you." She bowed her head, taking his hat back over to the counter.

"Hey Link," Groose said casually, ruffling the shorter boy's hair, "try not to scare us like that again, yeah?" He turned his attention to the scene outside again. Through the thick curtain of water pouring down over the city, Groose could spot the cars speeding past the restaurant along with those coming to a halt on the shoulders of the road. He chuckled as he saw his roommate's truck pulling to a stop across the street.

"Well, it looks like my ride's here. See ya in the morning, bud." He then turned to wave good-bye to Karane and offered out his hand to Pipit for a parting shake. After he released Pipit's hand and said his farewell, he looked over at Midna and shouted before bolting out the door, "Bye, stinky butt!"

"Asstard!" Midna roared, already running for the door, but when she reached it it had already closed with a musical chime, and her brother was already halfway across the street. Groose turned to wave at her as he hopped in the truck and out of the rain. Unamused, she raised a brow before flipping the bird to her coworker with perhaps the most ridiculous pompadour in all of Hyrule City.

"Can you two ever act the least bit civil around one another?" Link teased sweetly with a charming smile.

Chuckling quietly, Midna faced Link and smirked as she batted his eyelashes. "Link, for future reference, siblings are never civil towards one another."

"You can say that again..." Karane commented humorously, recounting the money Link had stashed away in his hat. "Hey Link..." she started, a little confused. "There's forty extra rupees here. Why didn't you just go on and pocket your tips?"

"Whoa... You got tipped that much?!" Midna's jaw dropped. Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, she continued. "I guess those good looks of yours are really paying off, huh?"

"You really think I've got good looks?" Link shrugged, brushing the ginger's arm off his shoulder before heading over to the counter to retrieve his hat. "So... Um... About the extra rupees," he cleared his throat, "Yeah... I got a few decent tips tonight... But I was thinking..." Karane was giving him a hard look, almost as if he had wronged her. "Well... You and Pipit have worked so hard running this place and I figured that you two-"

"No. Link, these are yours. Period."

Fidgeting nervously, Link shook his head before taking his ball cap back. "I can't take them." Although, he really did need them, but... he knew his employers were really struggling with financial issues too. They never let on, at least, not when they thought anyone was listening.

"Then I will!" proclaimed the fiery headed woman, pushing past Link, holding out an eager hand.

"Midna..." Pipit uttered warningly.

"Hey! I was just kidding!" she snapped her hand out at Karane's open palm and snatched up all forty rupees.

"Link-" With her free hand she grabbed his wrist. "-save up for a new bike, or better yet, a moped."

"I don't need a new bike! And why for the love of Nayru would I need a moped?!" he pouted before snickering childishly. "I would wreck the darn thing after ten seconds, and really, could you even see me on one of those things!? I would look ridiculous."

"Well, if you don't need a new bike, or a moped, then save up for something else. There's gotta be something you really want." Midna dropped the shiny - well, not so much now due to being shoved in pockets and wallets - colored stones into Link's hand. "And if there isn't, just keep on saving till ya find something you can't live without!"

"But-"

"Ah! No buts!" snapped the man dressed in a yellow button down shirt. "It's your money. Keep it, even if you don't plan on spending it. Having a little extra never hurt, especially when times are tough."

Link's fellow work mates shouted out in unison before he could even think of denying the extra forty rupees again. "Keep it!"

Nearly jumping back about three feet, Link shoved the money into his empty pocket. His eyes darted around guiltily as he did. He really did feel that a certain couple standing not too far away were in need of more funds than him. It's not like he was struggling to keep up with a house payment, just his uncle's medication and rent.

"Well, now that that's done with, I'd say it's time for us to lock up and head out for the night," Karane said, her hands casually resting on her hips.

"Yeah... better not keep Sheik waiting any longer." The feisty cook practically sprinted for the door, waving back at everyone. "See ya'll tomorrow!"

"Hey Midna! Tell Sheik I said hi!" Link shouted, the tall woman already halfway out the door.

"Will do!" With that, the door blew closed behind her, and the wind chimes hanging from the metal bar on the door clanged against the glass and jingled like sleigh bells during the winter holiday.

After Midna's departure, the lights in the restaurant flickered as another round of earth shattering thunder rumbled across the sky. Bolts of electric light followed a zigzagging path down to the ground as they painted the canvas of gray clouds before vanishing and reappearing in new places.

"Wow... there hasn't been a storm like this in quite some time," Link mumbled to himself, his head twisted back over his shoulder.

"Yeah..." Pipit replied mindlessly, watching tear-shaped blobs of water pound against the door as if they were bullets being fired out of a machine gun.

"Well, we should get going before it gets any worse. Come on boys," Karane smiled, one hand on the knob of the back door and the other on the light switches.

Nodding, both Link and Pipit tore their eyes away from the scene outdoors and shuffled back towards Karane. Sitting on one of the stainless steel counters in the cramped kitchen was a paper bag filled with an order of sesame cucco, deep fried wontons, egg rolls, fried rice, and finally, one fortune cookie.

"Oh, Link, that's your uncle's order if ya want to grab it." Pipit said as he waved a hand over to the bag. Quickly, Link scooped the warm bag of delicious smelling food into one arm and followed Karane and Pipit out of the now dark building and into the rain. With his free hand he pulled the door to The Guardian Loftwing closed and bolted for the red Honda starting up only a few paces away.

* * *

Sighing impatiently out of frustration, a man with pale, sickly skin pinched the bridge of his nose. The phone between his hand and his face was warm, and the voice on the other line was starting to give him the headache of a lifetime. Slouching back into his chair, the man placed his free hand on his head and shut his eyes. He was definitely going to need a few of those painkillers stashed away in his desk.

"I already told you," he groaned into the phone, "we have everything ready to go. All you have to do his show up and take care of the Nohansen's little brat. Don't even bother coming to City Hall. She'll be at home. I doubt there should be any trouble."

Once again, that voice drilling nails into the man's head started up again before - finally - vanishing with the click of a button. Groaning to himself, the mayor of Hyrule City slammed the phone back onto the receiver. At the precise moment his hand left his office phone, a blast of thunder reverberated through the city as if the sky were a bass drum being struck for the finale of an energetic ballet.

Snorting irritably, the mayor threw open one of the draws in his desk to retrieve that bottle of pills. The storm outdoors wasn't doing much to ease the throb at the base of his skull.

After swallowing a couple of the white capsules, he stood and glanced down at his watch. It was already half past nine, and the call he had just been freed from had started at six on the dot. Shaking his head, he ran a set of bony fingers through his pony tail of lavender hair.

"Those idiots better get this right," Vaati mumbled acidly, casting a glance out the window. Cars zoomed by City Hall, spraying water onto the unlucky patrons walking along the sidewalks as well as the cars parked along street. Of course, the cars passing his window were not what caught his interest at all. Instead, all his ruby red eyes could focus on was the sleek limo parked not too far from the outside of his office and the three people scurrying to climb inside of it.

He didn't need to see their faces to recognize them. It was the Nohansens - his political enemies - and their daughter. After all, Demise Nohansen and his wife, Hylia, did their best to sway the votes of Hyrule's city council out of his favor. His policies were much more conservative, staying true to the ideals of the Gerudo Party, while the party the Nohansens supported, the Sky Party, was left wing liberal.

Now drumming his fingers on the window seal, he scowled at that man with a bush of orange hair. It didn't take long at all until a hateful glare was sent Vaati's way, even though Demise could barely see past his own nose in the downpour. He just knew those beady, bat eyes were set on him.

A smirk tugging at those nearly gray lips, the mayor returned to his desk and began to gather a few papers and files. It was time for him to head home for the night, and for once, dream of his success. He wouldn't have to put up with the Nohansens much longer. They, soon, would be one less - painfully large - problem to deal with.

* * *

Scrunching his nose up, Link walked through the sour smelling stairway of his building. He considered shoving his face into the bag he was carrying, but never entertained the idea. His neighbors already thought he was weird enough, except for Fledge. Well... everyone thought Fledge was stranger than him. At the top of the list for weirdos in the run down apartment complex though, to Link's dismay, was his uncle. Really, he couldn't blame anyone. His uncle was just a disaster.

Climbing up the last flight of stairs up to his floor, Link hugged the warm bag to his body. At least dinner would be decent tonight. Midna, after all, had some mad cooking skills. Hopefully his uncle wouldn't just stare numbly at his plate tonight. Link didn't recall him eating much in the past week. Then again, he was always stuck working either at The Guardian Loftwing or at Durina's Pizzeria and on weekends or days he didn't work much, he found himself doing odd jobs for the people in the building. He mainly did jobs for Fledge. Poor guy never left his apartment. For at least the past three years, Link went shopping for the guy.

As he briskly sauntered down the hall, Link shoved a hand into his pocket to retrieve his key. The faster he got home, the sooner he could go to bed, and the sooner the next day would arrive. Then he could get back out of the apartment and work. Not that Link liked working, it's just that he didn't really like spending much time home. If anything, staying cooped up in his apartment with his uncle only made him depressed... Rather, his uncle made him depressed.

"I'm home, Uncle," he called as he closed the door behind him. As expected, no one answered him. Shrugging his shoulders, Link shuffled through his small living room and dumped the bag on the table before plopping down on the sofa.

"Uncle..." he said a bit louder this time.

_Please don't make me go check on him... Din, if you can hear me, please just have him stumble out here._

Link waited for a few minutes, sending more silent prayers to the goddesses. The last thing he need was for his uncle to be in another one of his more... unstable states of mind. He really, really didn't want to put up with the moaning and shouting all night again.

"Uncle?"

He waited a couple moments more before getting up with a disappointed sigh. It looked like he was going to have to soothe his uncle all night long, assuring him that there wasn't anything wrong with him or this woman that wasn't even there - Saria he called her, if Link remembered correctly. He would go on about how she was dying with her baby, and he was next. At least, that was the latest delusion - it changed frequently.

"Link...?"

Jumping around, shocked, Link gasped, "Oh! I... err... There's food. Hungry?"

The older man gave a soft smile, making his way over to the chair sitting opposite the sofa, "Yeah. What'd you bring home?"

"Sesame cucco." Link grinned, touching his chin to his shoulder while gesturing to the bag.

"Oh... That sounds really good. Mmmm... It smells good too."

"Yeah... it does. Let me go grab some plates. I'll be right back." Link then scurried into their kitchen, grabbing two paper plates and his uncle's medicine. For once, the evening was going well, and he felt like he was actually living with someone normal. Hopefully things would remain that way for a while - at least the rest of the night.

Lucky for Link, he was on Faron's good side that night. He and his uncle actually had a nice dinner for the first time in months. They talked and enjoyed each others company. Link never thought he would have an night such as nice as this. Why couldn't every night be more like this one? He might actually enjoy being at home.

"Hey, do you want the fortune cookie? I think Pipit stuck one in for you," he offered, holding it out in the palm of his hand.

"Cookie, eh? Why don't you take it? You still like cookies, right kiddo?"

Resisting the urge to laugh, Link nodded. "Yes, I still like them."

"Good. Then take it." He pushed the outstretched hand back towards its owner and closed those fingers around the pale, cracker-like cookie. Grinning gently, he released Link's hand and stood up. "Well, I think I'm going to go on and hit the hay. Good night."

Link raised a brow before shrugging. He thought that was a little sudden, but he guessed that could be considered normal... sort of. At least there wasn't - thank Din - any insanity, mostly.

"Night," Link replied as he watched his uncle stalk back into one of the three rooms at the other end of the apartment. Turning the fortune cookie over in his hands, Link stood from his perch on the couch. Looking at the clock hanging over the television, he too determined that it was about time to head to bed as well. First, he had to clean up, but that wouldn't take long.

With a yawn, he opened the blue plastic seal around the cookie. After breaking the lip-shaped cookie in half, he pinched the tiny slip of paper stuffed inside its hollow center.

_Soon, you will begin walking the path that leads to you true destiny, although you must be cautious for there are many twists and turns along the way_.

**Thanks to LEva114 for editing.**_  
_


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